1st snowfall brings 6 inches to The County

FORT KENT, Maine — Pumpkins and scarecrows were splattered with patches of white in many parts of St. John Valley when residents woke up Wednesday morning. Up to 6 inches of snow fell in some parts of the region overnight and into the morning hours.

The higher the elevation, the more snow was received, according to Mal Walker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Caribou.

“The highest amounts of snow were in the extreme northwestern part of the state,” he said Wednesday, pointing out that Estcourt and Freedom Acres near Fort Kent both received 6 inches of snow. “Anywhere from 3 to 6 inches fell in those areas.”

In Fort Kent and St. Francis, 4 inches of snow fell. St. Agatha received 3.5 inches, while 3 inches was recorded in Allagash, Clayton Lake, Castle Hill and Lille.

Trace amounts of snow were reported in the Caribou area, said Walker.

Other areas in southern Aroostook County received scattered snow showers and rain.

The NWS had issued a snow advisory earlier in the week telling Aroostook County residents to expect 2 to 4 inches.

“These snowfall amounts were pretty much in line with what we expected,” Walker said Wednesday.

It is expected to be mostly clear in the region through the rest of the week, although scattered showers could occur in some areas.

Snow at this time of the year isn’t unusual. Meteorologist Mark Bloomer of the NWS told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the first snow typically arrives in northern Maine in the third to fourth week of October.